Improvement in skates



To all whom 'if may concern:

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Letters Patent No; v91,539, drtteid .Tune 22, 1869; antedated June 19, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT INfSZATBS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

Be it known that I, ALPHEUs S.HUN1ER, of Newburg, in the county of Orange, and State of New York,.have invented an Improved Skate; and I do herebyy declare -that the following isla full, clear, `and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawing, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The nature' of my invention 4consists in the mode of fastening and unfastenfing the skate to and from the boot or shoe of the pe'rson who' is using the same. The operation ,is done almost instantaneously. Qnly one motion of the lever at the heel-end of the skate secures the skate irmly to the foot. The same motion on the same lever backwards unfastens the. skate im- ,mediately, so that it dropsdown from the foot.

1 Besidesv this improvement in gaining time or avoiding thesometimes disagreeable work of fastening the skates by straps, `this-skate is fastenedpn thoseparts -of the boot where it does not 'give the least pressure to the foot, which is veryl often a disagreeable and dangerous peculiarity of skates.

This skate is fastened at`one end to the 'heel of the boot, and at the other end to the sides of the sole, right across the ball ofthe foot. .The skate isv also easily adjustable for any sizeof heel, and for the width of sole, and combines in this way all the good qualities o f any other kind of skates.

Figurel represents a side view of the skate when fastened to the foot. l

Figure 2 is a bottom view of the same, in the same positiom Figure 3 shows a bottom view of the footplate in position, when the skate is loose.

Figure 4 is a cross-section of the foot-plate.

-Y AFigure 5 shows theback end of the skate only, with the lever in position, when the skate is loose.

A A is the skateiron, to which are fastened the foot-plate O C by the brackets- BI and B2, and the heel-plate D D by the brackets B3.

To the heel-plate D D is firmly secured, by means of two screws f j, a strong angle-plate, F, with corrugated face, which takes hold 4of Athe inside face of the heel, and which plate can be adjustedv to the size ofthe heel by altering its place along the two slots i t', cut in the heel-plate for this purpose.

To the foot-plate O O are secured two strong angleplates l?" Q and l? Q2, which-are movable cross-ways to lengthen or shorten the distance between the two upright standing plates I" P2, to accommodate any size of sole to be firmly held between, and to open orshnt enough to firmly hold or let go the sole of the boot, for which the position of angle-plates was adjusted. y

These angle-plates, P1 Q* and P2 Q, are guided in their motion by two strong bolts, d1 d2, with large heads, and by pins m m along the edges, and slots g g2 in the plates Q1 Q2.

This opening and closing ofthe plates I" P2 is done lby a double-acting wedge-shaped vpiece, K K, which is actuated by a rod, T TR, running through the eyes N and 'O at the ends of the wedge, at which rod is cut thread for a suitable length, and two nuts, L and M, regulate the position of the wedge K K on the rod.

In'the plates Q Q2 are cut suitable grooves, on their lower faces, for thelegs of' the wedge K K to slide in; and by means of these grooves those plates are set outward as soon as the wedge is shifted nearer the end R, by means of' the two nuts L and M, and drawn inward when the wedge is placed further away from the end R.

This regulation of position of the wedge on the rod,

by means of those nuts L 'and M, is done to lit a pair of skates for acertain pair of boots, or for a certain width of soles. The opening and closing of the angle-plates Il P2, for fastening the skates .to the boots, is done by shifting the wedge K with the rod T R together. This is done by another arrangement made at the heel-end of the skate.

For this purpose are riveted to the back end of the skate-iron two strong cheeks E E, which carry at the top end a lever H, the fulcrum of which is at a, and the short end of which is an eccentric cam, in such a shape that any pressure working on the iat facefof the small spot h, will produce a tendency to turn the lever H inward toward the boot; never outward.

This lever H is brought in connection with another three-armed lever G S c, the fulcrum of which is at b. The short lever arm of lever H is working between the two arms G and S, in such a way that the arm G is pushed inward toward the heel of the boot, when the lever H is moved up, as shown in fig. 1.

That same movement pulls the lever-arm c back, and with it the rod T T, and with the rod the wedge K K, which in turn pulls, by the action of' its inside faces, the plates P PZ together, and draws them firmly to the edges ofthe sole of the boot, Where their cor rugated faces lodge tightly in the leather, and hold the skate securely to the boot.

The arm G has a circular shape, and is armed with a sharp projection, c e, which is pressed firmly into the heel by the lever H; in the position as shown in g. 1, and holds the heel securely between the anglepla'te F and circularplate G.

The small flat face h lies hard against the back of the lever-arm G, and all back-pressure from the boot against the action of the lever H, has the tendency to hold the skate firmer to the boot, as the direction of pressure runs below the fulcrum a; therefore, only by a power attached to the long arm of the lever H, can the skate be loosened from the boot.

As soon as suiiicient power is used to turn back the lever H, the powerful gripe is gone, which the different corrugated faces or plates had on the different places of the boot; and by moving the lever H back, as far as shown in lig. 5, the back face of lever H, near the fulcrum, took hold of the second arm S of the lever G S c, and pushed it down, so that arm c came in position, as shown in iig. 5. It pushed forward the rod T T It, wedge K K, which, by the action of its outside faces, pushed apart the plates PI and P, and let go the boot.

The same action of lever H ou the arm S, retracted the arm G'lrom the heel, and with it the sharp projection e e out of the heel, so that simultaneously at all points the boot was free from the skate, or the skate from the boot.

The whole action of the lever H on the dierent parts is very powerful. It is the combination of lever and wedge, each for itself a powerful machine.

If the skates are regulated or adjusted for a pair of boots, the whole operation of putting on the skates is: Put the foot on the skate, that the inside face of the heel lies on plat/e F, and pull the lever H to the position, as shown in iig. 1.

The operation for taking o the skate is: Pull lever H back, as shown in lig. 5, and the skate is o'.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The mode of fastening or unfastening skates to the boot or shoe by the combined action of lever H, lever G S -c, rod T T R, double-'acting wedge K K, wihdplates P Q* and P Q, and angle-plate F, as speci e 2. The manner of adjusting the skate to the boot by means of the rod T T B, nuts L and M, doubleacting wedge K K, and the corresponding grooves in the angle-plates P Q and P Q- for the foot-plate, and by means of movable angle-plate F for the heel, as

specified.

ALPHEUS S. HUNTER..

Witnesses:

HENRY M. OomLLY, THOMAS FABRINGTON. 

